Washing machine



Aug. 27, 1940. K BLASE 2,212,822

WASHING MACHINE Filed Sept. 28, 19:57

Patented Aug. 27, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Karl Blase, Berlin-"Charlottenburg, Germany, assignor to Siemens-Schuckertwerke Aktlengesellschaft, Berlin-Siemensstadt, Germany, a

corporation of Germany Application September 2a, 1931, Serial No. 166,033 In Germany October 2, 1936 4 claims.

This invention relates toimprovements in washing machines having a washing drum continuously driven in one and the same direction of rotation, for instance, by a universal motor with reduction gear. In the known machines of this type, the articles to be laundered have the tendency of forming one compact mass which is moved around as a whole, thus preventing a good washing effect on the individual articles.

The object of the present invention is to remove this deficiency and, more in particular, to design the vane of the washing drum in such a manner that it entrains during the rotation of the drum all articles placed in the washing liquid contained in the lower part of the drum and causes the same after it has reached the highest position to fall one after the other into the washing fluid. According to the invention, the washing drum of a washing machine is provided with one single vane, the surface of which, viewed from the drum axis, is so bent that every article upon reaching its highest position is placed on a portion of the vane which is inclined about 30 with respect to the horizontal. The vane may have approximately a semi-circular shape and forms with'the portion of the inner drum wall opposite to the convex side of the vane a chamber which is closed at the end of the vane oppo- .30 site to the direction of rotation by a partition wall. The space enclosed by the vane may be closed by a cover with respect to the inner space of the washing drum.

If a washing drum thus designed is rotated, all articles to be laundered glide at first into the pocket-like chamber formed of the vane and the drum wall and are lifted during the rotation of thedrum. A great portion of the washing liquid is at the same time entrained by the pocket-like chamber. If now the articles are lifted by the vane approximately to the highest point, they fall one after the other into the washing liquid contained in the bottom portion of the drum.

In the drawings, Figs. 1 through 5 illustrate an embodiment of the invention in five subsequent operating positions, the washing drum being shown in cross sectional views. Fig. 6 exemplifies a second embodiment of a washing drum according to the invention.

In Fig. 1 the broken line indicates the outer container of a washing machine, and 2 the level of the water or other washing solution filled into the container. The washing drum l I comprises a drum cylinder ll rotatable about journals I! in the direction of the arrow 13, and a lid l covering an opening through which the articles to be washed are placed in and removed from the drum. A vane It extends from the inner wallof the drum beyond the axis of rotation and forms with a-portion of the drum a pocket-like chamber l which collects the articles to be washed during the rotation of the drum.

The vane 14 is so bent that the chamber l5 has approximately semi-annular shape. When the drum rotates in the direction of the arrow l3, the textile pieces to be washed, l6, l1, l8 and I9. lying on the bottom of the drum, glide one after the other into the chamber l5 and are lifted during the rotation of the drum above the liquid level. Upon surpassing the highest point, they drop back into the liquid.

Since at least a portion of the washing liquid is entrained by the chamber the articles lying on the bottom of the drum are furthermore intensely rinsed by the washing liquid spilling ofi so that in this manner a still better washing efiect is attained. Fig. 1 shows the washing drum in a position wherein all the articles to be washed are entrained in the pocket l5. Shortly after, the first article l9 will drop out of the pocket into the washing liquid. In the position shown in Fig. 2 the drum is rotated to such an extent that about the half of the articles contained therein has fallen from the chamber l5. Since the articles are all arranged in series in the chamber The chamber now begins to take up the articlesat the lowest point of the drum. Figs. 4 and 5 show further positions of the drum in which the articles are completely taken up and are conveyed upon a further rotation of the drum to the highest point of the drum.

The spilling of the articles oneafter the other is caused by the fact that only that article glides downward along the vane which rests on the vane portion forming an angle. of about with the horizontal. This operation has the advantage that the articles entrained by the vane, individually at relatively long intervals drop from the highest position into the greatest possible depth. This causes the articles to expand or unwind before they again plunge into the washing liquid so that a loosening of the articles is effected at each turn of the drum. On account of the intervals between the dropping of the individual articles, each piece is thoroughly rinsed by the liquid entering through the perforations of the drum. This also causes an intense foam formation which further improves the laundering effect. During the rotation of the washing drum the same process is repeated, i. e. the articles placed on the bottom of the washing drum are again entrained by the vane chamber and fall as soon as they have reached the highest point one after the other from said chamber into the washing liquid without balling. In this manner, it is possible to attain with a washing drum rotating always in the same direction the best and the most rapid washing of the-articles.

In the embodiment of Fig. 6, the central space enclosed by the curved portion of the vane I5 is closed by a cover I2 in order to prevent articles from escaping the laundering process by collecting in this space. The operation of this embodiment is the same as that of Figs. 1 through 5.

An additional increase of the washing effect may also be attained by providing the vane and the inner wall of the washing drum with washboard-like corrugations as illustrated in Fig. 6. While the foregoing description assumes that the washing drum has a perforated wall and is arranged in a container filled with washing liquid, the drum may also be designed without perforations so that a special washing fluid container may be dispensed with.

What is claimed is:

1. In a washing machine having a washing drum designed to be continuously rotated in one direction, a single vane forming part of said drum and extending from the inner wall of said drum beyond the drum axis so as to have one end abutting against the wall of the drum while its other end is spaced from said wall in order to entrain the articles to be washed, said vane having the portion of its operative surface which is near said axis curved concentrically with respect to said axis so as to spill subsequently the individual articles entrained when in operation.

2. In a washing machine having a washing drum designed to be continuously rotated in one direction, a single vane mounted in said drum extending from the inner wall of said drum beyond the drum axis so as to have one end spaced from said inner wall in order to form a curved pocket for entraining the articles to be washed, said vane having a substantially semi-cylindrical surface portion adjacent to said spaced end sothat when the drum is in operation the entrained articles rest on differently inclined areas of said surface portion, and the area of said surface portion having passed beyond the highest position in the drum is inclined downwardly and outwardly relative to said pocket so as to cause spilling of the article resting on said latter area while the remaining area of said surface portion is inclined towards the bottom of said pocket.

3. In a washing machine having a washing drum designed to be continuously rotated in one direction, a single vane in said drum extending from the inner wall of said drum beyond the drum axis so as to have one end spaced from said inner wall, said vane having an essentially semi-cylindrical portion arranged concentrically with respect to said drum, and an approximately radial portion between said semi-cylindrical portion and the inner wall of said drum.

4. In a washing machine having a washing drum designed to be continuously rotated in one direction, a single vane in said drum extending from the inner wall of said drum beyond the drum axis so as to have one end spaced from said inner wall, said vane having the portion of its KARL BLASE. 

